


When Meteors Hit Earth 65 Million Years Ago

by 1redblackflannel



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Rated for future chapters, Reunion, Slow Burn, Smut, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings, tags will update as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:07:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23502847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1redblackflannel/pseuds/1redblackflannel
Summary: Tsukishima was fairly certain that he was happy. He got to educate children about dinosaurs at the museum and had a nephew that he dearly loved.Despite this, life enjoys throwing curveballs once and a while.In the case of Tsukishima, his curveball is named ‘Feelings for Kuroo Tetsurou.’ Even though you’re supposed to catch the ball and carry on, Tsukki gets smacked in the face with it.Welcome to the story about Kuroo and Tsukishima’s hopeless love lives.Updates every 2-3 weeks.THIS IS KINDA ON A HIATUS... SORRY Y'ALL :/
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 15
Kudos: 89





	1. Dinosaurs and Reunion

The doors of the building opened suddenly, allowing a breeze of fresh air into the museum. This was followed by the teacher shushing the kids before they got too noisy.

Surprisingly, they listened. Though, from his seat at the information desk, Tsukishima could practically hear the children vibrating with enthusiasm as they looked around the entrance of the Global Gallery building.

It was an aspect of his job that he enjoyed greatly. Watching as the kids became fascinated with creatures that roamed the Earth millions of years ago. 

It was the same reason he had even considered a career at a museum.

Becoming a museum educator had always been a goal for him. For one main reason. 

Heck, it was One. Single. Word.

_**DINOSAURS.** _

It was as simple as that. 

Yet, it always said one thing about Tsukishima as a person.

He was a Dino-nerd. A huge dinosaur geek. Making it very hard to hide his childhood obsession at work.

Despite this, Tsukishima still tried his hardest to hide it when he wasn’t leading tours. A weak effort to try and not go ‘full on geek mode’ on his colleagues present.

He failed miserably. Every. Single. Day. 

Which was probably the reason why everyone who worked at the museum knew his so-called ‘secret’. 

Apparently, it was a well known fact (much to Tsukishima’s disappointment).

Evidently, it was a very bewildering sight to see the usually stoic, 6 foot tall man enthusiastically preaching to tiny children about extinct creatures.

It really didn’t match his usual icy demeanour. 

Tsukishima never really cared. 

At least he was passionate about his job.

He eyed at the approaching group of kids who were being ushered forward by their homeroom teacher and Iwaizumi.

Yes, Iwaizumi Hajime from volleyball back in high school. 

The man had become head of security at the museum, which was quite a surprise for Tsukishima when he first arrived.

Clearing his throat and smoothing out his work uniform, Tsukishima stood up from the chair he was sitting on, making his way over to the kids and their teacher. 

_Quiet bunch,_ he noted silently.

Quickly bowing, he introduced himself to the teacher before giving a nod to Iwaizumi. The other man nodded back at him, and promptly exited the building to escort the next tour group in.

After Iwaizumi had left, Tsukishima took a breath and clapped his hands to draw the kids attention.

Wide and bright eyes stared in his direction.

“Alright children, welcome to the National Museum of Nature and Science, Global Gallery! My name Tsukishima Kei and I will be your guide today. Nice to meet you all.” 

The kids echoed his greeting with a very loud, ”Nice to meet you!!”

And the tour had begun. 

Tsukishima led the group into the first room on the right, his personal favourite, titled ‘Exploring the Mysteries of Dinosaur Evolution.’ 

The self proclaimed, ‘dino room’.

A couple gasps of awe were elicited from the children as they entered the room, followed by excited chatter.

Tsukishima felt a small grin forming on his face. No matter how many groups he led, seeing their reactions to the skeletons, was the best.

 _Anyone who wouldn’t react to the dinosaurs would be crazy,_ he thought to himself.

The exhibit itself was pretty breathtaking to him, and everyone else who entered. The white lights overhead created shadows of the dinosaurs that made them appear as if they could move on their own.

As soon as you entered the exhibit, you were surrounded by the dinosaur fossils. To the right, an Stegosaurus and Ankylosaurus stood. Descriptions surrounding them. Further down, there was a fossilized Triceratops and a skeletal version standing on a cluster of reddish rocks beside a Parasaurolophus. Mounted above them were 3 different skulls that displayed different crest patterns. At the centre of it all, were the towering Allosaurus and Brachiosaurus fossils, small raptors scattered around them.

Tsukishima absolutely loved the exhibit with a childlike passion.

There was just something so majestic about these creatures who had lived on the Earth so many years before humans. 

Giving everyone a moment to take in their surroundings, Tsukishima scanned the exhibit. Immediately, he could tell it was a relatively quiet day at the museum, considering that it was Sunday. 

The dinosaur exhibit was always one of the museum's more popular displays.

He shrugged inwardly. At least he wouldn’t have to shout so that the kids could hear him.

 _Today’s going to be a good day. A very good day, I can feel it,_ he thought to himself.

He took another breath before starting to speak, “Ok, kids! I can tell how excited everyone is! Please follow me to this display-“

—————

Tsukishima’s shift was finally finished by the time the museum closed. But instead of going home, he had stayed an extra hour in an attempt to be productive. 

Springing back from his desk and leaning back in his chair, he mentally checked off items on his to-do list.

_Organized some information on the new displays. Check. Contacted the coordinators of the Monday tours. Check…_

He was well prepared for Monday. Tsukishima let his mind wander.

The kids were really phenomenal listeners, considering that they were all first graders. It was something that seemed pretty rare now, in his opinion.

He took a swig from his water bottle and felt his phone vibrate in his pocket to signal an incoming call. Pulling out the phone, he was surprised to read the caller ID. His brother was calling?

Immediately his mind drifted into worst case scenarios (being the amazing pessimist that he was). 

_What if Akiteru got into a car accident… Wait, he can’t drive… Family emergency?... Robbers?..._

Swiping to answer, Tsukishima brought the phone up to his ear, “Hello? What’s up Aki?” 

“Kei!” His brother sounded very relieved, “I’m not disturbing your shift right?”

“No. I just finished up. What’s up?”

“Soooo, I’m going to be stuck at work for another couple hours. Some processing errors, lost data… fun stuff... Anyways! Huge favour! I dropped Keichi off at some volleyball camp that just started today… Can you watch him for the night? Please?”

Tsukishima could almost feel his brothers panic. “Don’t worry, I’ll do it.”

“Thanks Kei! I really owe you one! He gets off at 7 and it’s the gym right across your place. It’s … what, 6-ish now? You should have plenty of time to catch the train.”

“I got it Aki. Don’t worry.”

“Thanks again, favourite brother!”

Tsukishima sighed, “I’m your only brother…”

“Yea I know! See you tomorrow!”

The call disconnected and Tsukishima stuffed his phone back in his pocket after checking the time. 

_6:17_

There was plenty of time to get to the station and to the gym near where he lived.

Getting to his feet, Tsukishima stretched his arms up, cracked his back a couple times, and made his way over to his locker. 

Hayato, the senior museum educator (his boss), peaked his head around the corner, “You’re leaving, Tsukishima?” 

“Yes sir I am.”

“Ok. Get home safe, alright? Good work today.”

Tsukishima gave a curt nod and Hayato disappeared back into the common area in the staff room. 

After fiddling around with the combination lock, the door of the locker creaked open. Tsukishima slipped on his coat, grabbed his keys, and perched his headphones on his neck before locking the door again. He walked over to the exit of the staff room and pushed the sliding door aside.

Calling out to inform Hayato he was leaving, Tsukishima slid the door shut behind him. Walking down the empty hall, he followed the path that he had taken many times before. 

_Take a left, take a right, first door on the left_

He shoved the heavy door open, and trotted down the ‘staff only stairwell’ to the first floor, his feet making loud clacking noises against the steps.

The museum was already closed, so it wasn’t a surprise that the lobby was dead quiet and empty.

He passed Iwaizumi (who was staring at his phone in concentration) at the information desk. The other man looked up at Tsukishima as he passed and gave a salut (which was stiffly returned), before the doors were pushed open.

The sun was starting to set gradually as the wind stirred grass.

Lovely walking weather compared to other days.

 _Notably during typhoon season,_ he commented.

Plugging the AUX cord of his headphones into his phone, he chose a random song from his playlist and let it play like background music as he walked. 

It had been a routine since he was in high school. Plus, it was relatively relaxing to drown out the noise of society with music, in his opinion. 

Tsukishima let his steps fall in time with the music as he walked the short distance between the museum and the station.

—————

It had taken Tsukishima about half an hour to reach the gym. It would’ve been faster if he had caught the stupid train… but complaining would get him nowhere.

In all the years that Tsukishima had lived in that neighborhood, he had never really been to the gymnasium. Heck, he hadn’t even been in a gym since his career of university volleyball had ended. 

He was 24 now…. so a pretty long time ago.

He slipped his headphones off his ears, dangling it, around his neck before shoving open the large grey doors of the recreation centre. 

Immediately after opening the doors, Tsukishima could hear the faint sounds of squeaking shoes against the wooden floor and balls colliding with the ground.

He could also hear the chatter of the parents who were seated. But it wasn’t just a couple of parents scattered amongst the benches outside the gym doors. 

No.

It was a _horde_ of parents. Tsukishima wouldn’t even be exaggerating if he had said that there were more than 40 parents.

It was surprising to see such a turn out at such a local gym.

Apparently, a lot of kids seemed to like volleyball.

Tsukishima checked the time again. _6:53_  
He was cutting it close, but otherwise, he was perfectly on time.

He made his way closer to the gym entrance, then all of a sudden he was hit with the smell. The same distinct scent that all gyms seemed to have. Something along the lines of air salonpas mixed with rubber and sweat.

_More like nostalgia…Very sweaty nostalgia._

Breaking into Tsukishima’s self monologue of memories, there was a very abrupt shout that came from the gym.

“ KIDS! BRING IT IN! IT'S ALMOST 7!”

There was the shuffling of feet and yells of, “OK!” In response from the kids.

Outside the gym, the parents were starting to ball up near the doors, forcing Tsukishima closer and closer to entering the gym. He still couldn’t see anything, but judging from how he was being forced forward and out of the way, neither could anyone else. 

After a great deal of shoving later, Tsukishima decided to step foot into the gym. 

For the reasons of: consideration for others and back pain.

He kept his eyes casted down to the wooden floor, slowly edging along the wall until he reached the back right corner of the single court in the gym. 

Then he slowly lifted his head.

Eyes tracing the white outline of the court, all the way to the net, and then to the huddle of children located in the centre of the court.

There was that voice again. Calling out instructions. Most likely the coach, but it sounded so familiar to Tsukishima for unknown reasons.

“TEAM ON THREE. ONE. TWO. THREE-”

The team lifted their arms in unison and broke the huddle to stand up.

And at that moment, it seemed as if time stopped.

There was a man, towering above the children around him. With a wide grin that spread all the way across his face.

A crimson red t-shirt tucked partially into long black sport shorts clothing a tanned and well built body.

High school memories flashed through Tsukishima’s brain.

The same man with a signature grin that could easily infuriate anyone who spoke with him. Someone with scheming eyes, and ridiculous mound of bed hair.

Someone who had dragged him through hours and hours of blocking practice to help him improve.

The proclaimed ‘Scheming Captain’ of Nekoma, who was two years his senior.

_Kuroo Tetsurou._

“-TEAM!”

The word echoed across the gym, jolting Tsukishima back to the present. 

He had been staring for way too long. 

From his vantage point above the children, Kuroo locked eyes with Tsukishima. His grin from before had morphed into something like a slack jawed silence.

Tsukishima definitely stared too long. 

The voice in his head was screeching now. _Wayyyyy too long. Good going, Kei._

He watched Kuroo practically _tear_ his eyes away from Tsukishima, before slapping his cheeks and returning his attention back on the kids.

“I’ll see you all next week Sunday! Don’t forget what you’ve learned!” 

There was a chorus of, “Yes, Coach,” before the children gradually scampered back to their parents who were ‘patiently’ waiting outside the gym. 

Luckily for him, it seemed that Keichi had already spotted him and was starting to make his way over to where Tsukishima was standing.

Unfortunately, his luck never seemed to last that long. 

Tsukishima began to regret his life choices as he saw Kuroo making his way towards him. Brain screaming in a panic as very inappropriate fantasies from high school forced their way into his mind.

Tsukishima wanted to curl into a ball and disappear forever.

“Uncle Kei!”

He looked down at his nephew, who was practically beaming with excitement. Eyes shining and sandy hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. 

“I got to spike the ball today!! Coach said I did really well. And then I...”

As much as Tsukishima loved his nephew and wanted to hear every detail on how practice went, he couldn’t hear poor Keichi at all.

Not with Kuroo -fucking- Tetsurou right in front of him.

“TSUKKI!! I haven’t seen you since you last came to Tokyo!! When was that… like high school?! How have you been?!” Kuroo’s eyes grew comically wide as he gestured to Keichi, hands were flailing around in front of him, “You have a KID?!”

Tsukishima was in fight or flight mode. His nephew was staring at him, expecting his uncle to speak.

It felt like the scariest Pokémon encounter ever.

 _RUN AWAY,_ his whole brain screamed.

So being the ‘very intelligent’ person he was, Tsukishima did the exact opposite.

“It’s been a while, but I’m doing well Kuroo-san,”  
he responded coolly. “Keichi is my older brother's kid.”

Kuroo raised his eyebrows, looking back and forth from Keichi to Tsukishima. His mouth was opening and closing, but no sound was coming out.

“But he looks just like you?! Like your carbon-copy!”

“So I've been told before, Kuroo-san.”

Tsukishima really hoped his reply came off as ‘icy’, but then again, the whole ‘ice’ thing never really phased Kuroo. 

He really needed a way to quickly leave the conversation.

Keichi seemed to have other ideas. 

The talkative 8 year old was nodding vigorously at Tsukishima’s side, “Everyone always says that Coach! Isn’t that weird?”

Kuroo gave a smile to Keichi, patting his head lightly. “It’s not weird at all, squirt. Maybe you’ll be as tall as your uncle in high school too!”

It was at this moment that Tsukishima’s brain decided to simulate a heavy metal rock concert. 

Pure (internal) screaming.

Some words.

More screaming.

Keichi decided to butt into the concert, which was very welcoming for Tsukishima. “Uncle Kei! Uncle Kei! How do you know the Coach?!”

“Well, we played volleyball in high school and our teams were rivals… But we were pretty close friends! Weren’t we Tsukki?” Kuroo responded, lightly punching the other man.

Tsukishima instinctively flinched away from the contact. “I suppose you could say that. We weren’t really that close-“

Kuroo cut him off. “I taught your uncle how to block Keichi! Maybe one day you’ll be an awesome volleyball player, and I can teach you how to block too!”

Did Kuroo just indirectly compliment him?

Cue the concert to start again.

He watched as the two of them enthusiastically talked about volleyball for a bit. Hands flying, eyes sparkling, words racing.

It _totally wasn’t_ a very endearing sight.

No.

It was not.

Kuroo did _NOT_ seem like a responsible parent figure. 

Did not.

“Uncle Kei! Coach said that he has the gym rented on Wednesday! Can we come again on Wednesday?!” Keichi practically yelled. 

Now Kuroo was staring at him. Trying to analyze his next move. 

He sucked in a breath. “You’re going to have to ask your dad, Keichi…”

“Yea I will! But Coach said you were a really good player! Can you come too?”

Tsukishima stared at his nephew. How could he say no to the kid? 

“I’ll try my best,” he replied nonchalantly.

Both Kuroo and Keichi cheered in unison and Tsukishima sighed. 

He thought today was going to be a good day.

Well… it was?

_No. It certainly wasn’t a good day. Totally not._

Out of nowhere, a kid and his parents came hurtling towards the group. “Umm, excuse me, Coach? My parents wanna ask you stuff.”

Kuroo glanced up from his celebration with Keichi to look over his shoulder at his other student. “Sure, I’ll be right there.” His head whipped back to look directly at Tsukishima, mouth quirking into his signature smirk. 

“I’ll see you Wednesday, Tsukki?”

Tsukishima clicked his tongue. “We’ll see.”

Kuroo’s smirk turned to a toothy grin at that reply, “Well, I’m expecting you to be there. Don’t leave me hanging.” He turned to Keichi, “See you Wednesday, squirt!”

With a wave, Kuroo turned back to the other parents so that they could ask their questions.

Tsukishima felt the tips of his ears heat up with a well delayed blush. His brain was overloaded with a little too much Kuroo as a result of the unplanned encounter.

He felt his nephew tug at his arm. “Uncle Kei, are we going now?”

“Yep we are Keichi. Your dad is working overtime, so you’ll need to stay at my place.”

“Ok!” Keichi exclaimed, “The Coach is so cool you know? Today he taught us-“

Tsukishima bobbed his head leisurely to Keichi as he recounted his time at practice. Focusing on his nephew's voice as they walked down the road to his apartment.

—————

With a quiet sigh, Tsukishima slumped onto his bed. Keichi was fast asleep in the guest room, meaning that he had a little time to himself to think.

What were the odds that Kuroo would have been his nephew’s volleyball coach at a gym so close to his house.

Kuroo looked like he was doing well, lacking sleep, but doing well otherwise. The man had barely changed his appearance from what Tsukishima had remembered. 

Especially that hair.

It was a miracle that the older man wasn’t bald yet.

Tsukishima took off his glasses and placed them on his bedside table, looking up to stare at the white blob that was the ceiling. 

_Maybe Kuroo lived in the area. Maybe..._

He smacked his face with a pillow and turned off the lights. Sleep would for surely stop his thoughts.

Right?

Despite his efforts, he could not fall asleep. Kuroo had invaded his thoughts, just as he had done in high school.

With a groan, Tsukishima rolled over.

He was so screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y’all!
> 
> so that was the first chapter of this fic... what did you guys think? the whole time writing this, all i could think of was the lyrics of Still into you by Paramore (a really sick song). 
> 
> i actually had to research the national museum to get a grasp on what the Dino exhibit actually looked like... google is pretty amazing. but I have no idea how staffing at the museum actually works. so majority of what Tsukki is doing might not be real. oh well.
> 
> im always trying to improve my writing and stuff... so comments are always well appreciated.. so are kudos :)
> 
> if any of you made it this far, thanks a ton!  
> see you in a couple days or so!


	2. Volleyball and Reunion (Pt.2)

Following the flow of people shuffling into the train car that had just pulled into Tokyo station, Kuroo clutched the strap of his duffel bag on his shoulder. 

He was absolutely winded. Like a cross between eating too much then moving around and a mild asthma attack.

That was exactly what Kuroo felt.

His body wasn’t used to so much physical activity with such high intensity in a short amount of time.

Most notably, sprinting for the train an hour before the afternoon rush started at 5.

Kuroo glanced down at his watch, praying silently that he wasn’t going to be late.

_3:48_

_If the train ride to Shinjuku station takes about 36 minutes and the bus ride plus walking takes around 18 minutes… then the total time would be 54 minutes…_

Kuroo would have to settle for arriving at the sports complex right about 20 minutes before 5. 

Parents would be satisfied with that right? 

Leaving their children with a man _totally_ capable of coming on time to volleyball lessons that he had personally scheduled. 

He shuffled near the end of the train car to allow other passengers some space. If he really wanted, he could arrive at the gym 2 minutes earlier than he predicted. If he had decided to run some more… which was a very unlikely scenario. Running was one thing, but running and then coaching for 2 hours, was something else entirely.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Kuroo gripped onto one of the overhead handles as the doors slid to a close and the train started to pull away from the platform. 

He peered out the window as the cart gradually gained speed, buildings starting to blur into a grey blob. 

It had been an early start for him that morning. Akaashi Keiji had helped him open the clinic at 6 in the morning, calling Kuroo a slacker for never organizing the patient files correctly. 

According to Akaashi, nothing Kuroo ever did was up to standard. The younger man expected perfection in everything, which was something that Kuroo never seemed to possess.

But apparently perfection was something that Bokuto possessed, if Akaashi had developed feelings for him. Of course, Kuroo had felt nothing but support for his two close friends, but he couldn’t help but be a little confused. The owl-like man was his best friend...but Bokuto’s organizational skills were close to non-existent. Akasshi had to constantly remind him of dates and where certain things were placed.

Maybe Akasshi had fallen in love with Bokuto’s impressive physical condition in high school. 

Most likely the biceps...

Definitely the biceps.

It was probably a miracle that the two of them weren’t already dating… Kuroo believed they were practically married already.

Becoming the neutral third party member who was constantly subjected to Bokuto and Akaashi’s feelings for each other, was really shining a spotlight onto his bland love life.

He was… how old now? 26? Without ever having a stable partner for more than a couple months.

_Dang that’s pretty sad man…_

The train cart swayed on the rails and Kuroo sighed again. 

_4:07_

Another random thought popped into his head. 

_Why did Akasshi agree to work for me?_

Well technically, Kuroo never really said anything to Akaashi. The other man just offered his help. 

Maybe…

Naw, Akaashi wouldn’t do him like that. 

There was absolutely no way in heck that Akaashi was using Kuroo as a way to see Bokuto more often. Akaashi was a very professional person who worked methodically with utmost efficiency… Who was also the reason why Bokuto stopped by at the clinic more often. 

Kuroo shut his eyes and groaned. His long hours playing ‘man in the middle’ we’re starting to take a toll on his thought process. _One if these days I’m going to lock them in a storage room and see what happens…_

He let his mind wander around a little more. Absentmindedly thinking about the patients he saw earlier and the amount of appointments he had on Monday.

It was safe to say that he the next couple of days were going to be pretty busy. 

—————

Kuroo (very fortunately) did not have to run to the sports centre. He somehow managed to catch the bus right before it left the station, arriving at the centre a whole 5 minutes earlier than he had anticipated.

A very, very pleasant surprise.

It was 4:43 when Kuroo pushed open the doors of the centre and walked down the hall to the gym. The floor space was large enough for a single court. The perfect size for teaching kids in his opinion. 

And the rent was pretty cheap compared to renting a larger place with multiple courts, which was a bonus.

With a grunt, Kuroo heaved the doors of the gym open and propped them in place with the wooden door-stopper things, conveniently placed beside the entrance. 

The lights were already on in the gym. Illuminating the varnished floor and top level seating. It was a pretty nice space.

Humming to himself, Kuroo set down his duffel bag and began to rummage around for his volleyball shoes. He finally found them and tossed them on the ground.

_It had been a while since I touched those shoes…When was the last time? Ahh..._

He sat down on the floor (totally without making a grunt that made him seem older than he actually was) and slipped off his running shoes, followed by his pants.

No, he was not only wearing underwear. There were a pair of black shorts underneath. It was a relief that they were there at least…

After putting on his shoes and ‘neatly folding’ (bunching up) his jacket and sweater, Kuroo tucked his bag beside the wall and stood up quickly.

With a wide grin, he clapped his hands together as he made his way over to the storage room. Spotting the poles for the net in the corner, he trudged over the piles of other sport related equipment. 

“Alright, alright, alright~ Let's get to work.”

A short while later, Kuroo had finished setting up the court. The volleyball net and ball carrier were assembled and (thankfully) upright. Clipboard in hand, he went to check the amount of children he would have for the lesson.

Turns out volleyball was a pretty popular sport among kids. 

“Holy shit…49, 50, 51, 52?!” Kuroo’s jaw had nearly hit the floor with surprise, “52 kids? Dang. That’s a lot...” He rubbed at his neck, kneading out imaginary knots that had started to form. Sure, he was a responsible adult that enjoyed helping kids out… but taking care of 52 eight year olds sounded a bit like a longshot.

Resting the clipboard on the bench, he checked his watch for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

_5:17_

There was still a solid 8 minutes before the very eager group of early parents started to arrive, so Kuroo figured that was more than enough time to stretch out a little.

Twisting around to crack his back, he proceeded to warm up. The same old routine that he’d used since high school with some modifications that he’d made in university.

Neck rotation, shoulder swing and rotation, hip twists and rotation, knee circles, ankle circles, a couple hops on the spot, topped off with some other miscellaneous stretching and a lap around the gym. 

It was a pretty slow jog. Nothing exhausting. It was a bonus that there was no audible clicking or cracking. A very good sign, so Kuroo continued to grab a volleyball from the cart.

Throwing it against the wall (and spiking occasionally) to loosen up his shoulders some more, Kuroo concluded that he was feeling the best he had felt in years.

But he didn’t want to jinx anything. Today, he wanted to show off a little bit to the kids and their parents. Show ‘em that this middle aged man was still pretty good!

But silently he was just praying that his body didn’t decide that it was ‘time to get funky’ just because it had been a while since he last played.

 _No funky time today…Nope… No. Absolutely not..._ was the only thing repeating in Kuroo’s mind.

There was a sudden knock on the gym door, and Kuroo dropped the ball he had been absentmindedly volleying for the past… minute?

A middle aged man with sandy coloured hair dressed in a suit stood by the entrance of the gym with a child at his side, “I’m so sorry if I’m early… I have to get back to work. But, are you Mr. Kuroo Tetsurou?”

“Ah, yes I am sir,” he quickly set the ball down and made his way over to the door, picking up the clipboard quickly. 

“Is your son taking part in the volleyball class today?”

“Yep, he is! Isn’t that right Keichi?” The man responded smiling brightly at his son. 

The kid beamed back an identical grin, “Yep!”

“Very well then,” Kuroo flashed a smile, “I have some liability waivers that I need you to sign before you leave Mr...” He passed the man a piece of paper and a pen.

“Oh, Akiteru is fine. No need for formalities,” the other man responded waving his hand.

Kuroo gave him a nod of acknowledgement, turning to the boy and sticking out his hand for a handshake. 

“Hey squirt! I’m Kuroo, but you can call me Coach. Let’s work hard!” The boy shook his hand with enthusiasm grinning widely.

It seemed all too familiar. The way the boys' eyebrows had slightly quirked upwards as he smiled. 

Kuroo just couldn’t place why it felt… so… nostalgic?

The Akiteru came back, waiver in hand. “Alright, everything is signed. I’ll be back at 7 to pick him up?”

“Yes, 7 is fine. If you’re a little bit late, I still have to pack up anyways.”

The man gave a grateful bow to Kuroo and a head pat to Keichi. “I’ll see you later Keichi!” He called as he speed walked down the hall of the sports centre towards the door, nearly colliding with the next wave of parents who were just arriving.

Ushering Keichi and the other children into the gym, he went to pass waivers to the rest of the parents.

—————

Kuroo was very thankful that he hadn’t passed out from exertion. The amount of times the kids wanted to see him spike, made him very concerned for his _frail and weak body._

Despite the amount of times he worked out in a week, he always found conditioning to be easier than actually playing.

At the moment, all the kids were preoccupied with some passing drills. Kuroo looked at each child, inspecting their form carefully, and correcting them when needed.

Taking a quick glance at his watch, he noted that there were only 6 minutes left until 7.

_Wow, time really did fly by…_

He cupped his hands around his mouth to project his voice over the sound of shuffling and bumping.

“KIDS! BRING IT IN! IT'S ALMOST 7!”

Immediately, heads whipped in his direction followed by choruses of “Yes Coach!” And “OK!”

Kuroo led the kids over to the centre of the court, so that his back was facing the net and his front was facing the gym wall perpendicular to the door. The kids bunched around in front of him, sweaty and tired from practice.

“Alright kids! Huddle up!”

Everyone ducked downwards to form a very large deformed circle. Kuroo was starting to curse the height difference between himself and a bunch of 8 year olds. 

Maybe he was getting old…

“You guys did really well today! This was your first lesson, so don’t worry if stuff was difficult. As you practice, you will slowly but definitely improve…” Kuroo spoke clearly, drawing from his experience as captain in high school. The kids seemed captivated, so he supposed he was doing a pretty good job.

He ended his short speech with a quick, “Yosh~ Let’s all stand up. Hands in the middle okay?” The team broke the huddle and Kuroo put his hand down first, watching as all the boys put a hand on top. Then swinging his covered hand slightly, he took in a breath.

“TEAM ON THREE. ONE. TWO. THREE-“

Everyone lifted their arms together and straightened their backs to stand up.

“-TEAM!”

Kuroo let his face split into a grin. He settled his hands on his hips as he surveyed the gym, eyes suddenly locking with a pair of golden-brown ones behind a pair of dark rimmed glasses.

Pure shock was definitely one way to describe what he was feeling.

Standing directly across from him, leaning up against the gym wall, stood a certain blond-haired crow from his high school days.

_Tsukishima Kei._

Kuroo felt his jaw drop a little bit. How long had it been since he had seen Tsukki? It had definitely been a while…

Slapping his cheeks quickly, Kuroo snapped out of his nostalgic thoughts. He shook his head a couple of times before cupping his hands to his mouth again.

“I’ll see you all next week Sunday! Don’t forget what you’ve learned!” He called out.

Once again, Kuroo was met with the response of, “Yes, Coach” as he watched the kids run back to their parents. 

Kuroo slowly started to edge towards the blond. For the sake of catching up only. No other motives. 

Totally not. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a child bee-lining towards Tsukishima. Kuroo’s thoughts erupted, _Tsukki’s married? And has a kid? Damn…_

As Kuroo got closer, he noticed how Tsukishima’s eyes darted from the child in front of him to Kuroo. Almost like he couldn’t believe what was happening. 

Well, neither could Kuroo. He took a breath before launching into a greeting.

“TSUKKI!! I haven’t seen you since you last came to Tokyo!! When was that… like high school?! How have you been?!” Kuroo didn’t wait for a response, he gestured wildly to the kid that stood in front of the blond,“You have a KID?!”

Tsukishima stared back at him, giving Kuroo that cold and calculating look as he processed what Kuroo had said. The kid was looking back and forth between Tsukishima and himself.

_Shit, I hope I didn’t make him mad…_

“It’s been a while, but I’m doing well Kuroo-san-”

 _Fuck man, he responded, but not about the kid… did you just make a major screw up?_

“-Keichi is my older brother's kid.”

Kuroo felt his eyebrows sub-consciously raise as he tried to make a witty comeback. He probably looked like a dying fish at the moment, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“But he looks just like you?! Like your carbon-copy!”

“So I’ve been told before Kuroo-san.”

Kuroo inspected Tsukishima’s reaction. It had remained unchanged and unbothered, similar to the way it was in high school.

_If that’s the case, then I can get away with teasing him a bit…_

A small voice interrupted his thoughts, “Everyone always says that Coach! Isn’t that weird?”

Kuroo looked down and gave a smile to the kid… Keichi was it? And went to pat his head. 

“It’s not weird at all squirt. Maybe you’ll be as tall as your uncle in high school too!”

“Wow really?!” Keichi replied with a huge smile.

Kuroo nodded his head.

Keichi was suddenly questioning Tsukishima. 

“Uncle Kei! Uncle Kei! How do you know the Coach?!”

Tsukishima looked down at his nephew, and Kuroo watched as the blond pieced together a response in his head. Kuroo decided to butt in, being the great senpai he was.

“Well, we played volleyball in high school and our teams were rivals… But we were pretty close friends! Weren’t we Tsukki?” Kuroo gave a quick jab to Tsukishima's arm.

The other man flinched away from the contact. “I suppose you could say that. We weren’t really that close-“

Kuroo cut him off. “I taught your uncle how to block Keichi! Maybe one day you’ll be an awesome volleyball player, and I can teach you how to block too!”

“Wow!! Really Coach?! You’d teach me how to block?”

“Of course squirt! I think you’ve got a good amount of potential!”

“Wahhhh~ Thanks Coach!! One day I’ll be better than you!” Keichi beamed.

“You’ll need a lot more practice to beat me, kid!!” Kuroo laughed, “Say… I’m gonna open this gym up again on Wednesday, would you like to come?”

Then Keichi whipped around to face Tsukishima. “Uncle Kei! Coach said that he has the gym rented on Wednesday! Can we come again on Wednesday?!” Keichi practically yelled. 

Kuroo stared at Tsukishima expantly, waiting for his response. With a sigh he replied quietly, “You’re going to have to ask your dad, Keichi…”

“Yea I will! But Coach said you were a really good player! Can you come too?”

Tsukishima stared at his nephew for a bit, weighing his options. Kuroo watched the other man bite the inside of his cheek before replying, “I’ll try my best,” in a very monotone voice.

Both Kuroo and Keichi cheered in unison as Tsukishima gave an exasperated sigh. 

Kuroo felt a tap on his shoulder, and he looked backwards. A boy and his parents were standing behind him. 

“Umm, excuse me, Coach? My parents wanna ask you stuff.”

“Sure, I’ll be right there.” Kuroo replied quickly before smirking directly at Tsukishima. 

“I’ll see you Wednesday, Tsukki?”

Tsukishima clicked his tongue. “We’ll see.”

Kuroo felt his smirk turn to a grin at that reply, “Well, I’m expecting you to be there. Don’t leave me hanging.” He turned to Keichi, “See you Wednesday, squirt!”

With a wave, Kuroo turned back to the other parents so that they could ask their questions.

“So, my son was wondering how he could improve his skills at home?”

Kuroo put on a business smile. “Alright ma’am, I’ll show you and your son some easy drills to do at home. Follow me for a moment…”

—————

It was 9 o’clock by the time Kuroo had taken a shower and gotten dressed for bed. He was currently seated at his desk, staring at the mountain of work he had to finish before he went to sleep.

Kuroo let his head fall backwards against the back of his office chair. There were so many files to go over… But his mind was a little preoccupied with the blond that he had seen earlier.

A little was probably an understatement… 

Kuroo groaned. _Work can wait… maybe I should call Bo?_

What harm could be done by calling up Bokuto?

Pulling out his phone, Kuroo quickly dialed his best friend's number.

Bokuto has picked up on the second ring, “BRO!! KUROO! KUBRO! My dude! What’s up!?”

Kuroo smiled a little bit at Bokuto’s enthusiasm,“Hey man! Crazy thing happened today…”

“DOES AKAASHI LIKE ME BACK?!” The other man practically screeched.

“Umm… No-“

Obviously a lie on Kuroo’s part.

“-Something else… You remember Tsukki- I mean- Tsukishima Kei?”

“From Karasuno? That tall blond dude right? The one who you wouldn’t stop talking about- “

Kuroo cut him off before any embarrassing details could be spilled.

“Yea that guy… Ya know how I set up volleyball lessons at the gym right? Well guess who I see picking up a kid!”

“No way bro! Tsukki’s married AND has a kid?! He’s doing better than us and we’re two years older…”

“That’s what I thought at first, man. But it was just his nephew. Anyways… I’m seeing him again on Wednesday… What do I doooo?”

“Kuroo, dude. You gotta chill for a second. This is the guy that you’ve pinned over for ages. If you met again, that kinda means you're destined for each other! Just play it cool. I don’t think Tsukki would have agreed to Wednesday if he didn’t think anything.”

Kuroo could almost see the grin on Bokuto’s face in his mind. 

_Damn… Is? No. That can’t be right at all...Bokuto could actually be right?_

“Bo, where’d you get all that advice from? What the fuck man?!”

Bokuto laughed on the other end of the call, “Maybe I’m just a very intelligent person… like a secret genius or something~”

Kuroo practically snorted. “Secret genius my ass. Thanks Bo.”

“Anytime man!” There was a pause, “Just make sure you tell me when you get laid!”

“Oh piss off Bokuto! Fuck with Akaashi, not me!”

“I wish~”

The call ended with a beep and Kuroo set down his phone. 

He desperately needed to refocus if he wanted to go to bed at a reasonable time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all!
> 
> I’m alive... I’m so sorry I didn’t post this earlier... even after saying see you in a couple of days...
> 
> I hope everyone’s doing well during this weird covid thing... Stay healthy! Wash your hands!!
> 
> Hopefully this story will update every 1-2 weeks.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated :)  
> (Reading comments always make me feel happy)


	3. Sweat and Pizza

Somehow, Tsukishima felt that the universe was trying to shove him together with Kuroo.

Not that he wanted that to happen or anything…

_No. No you do not. Nononono…_

Tsukishima shook his head violently, to shake off the thought, but it just made him look crazy. People on the other side of the sidewalk were definitely trying to stay as far away from him as possible. 

Being the logical person he was, thinking that the universe was wasting its energy trying to pair him with an idiot, _A very good-looking idiot..._ , was very unrealistic. 

Though, Tsukishima swore that he had proof.

Tuesday had flown by in, what seemed to be, a matter of seconds. Wednesday morning had barely even happened, and the three tours he led had finished in the blink of an eye.

And now, he was dragging his feet on his walk to the sports centre. On his way to see his favourite person.

His mind was happy to provide him with the absolute WRONG answer. _Kuroo!_ it cheered.

It was his nephew. Keichi.

That was the only reason why Tsukishima had even agreed to come to an oven-like gym after work and to tolerate Kuroo. 

Tsukishima really needed to learn how to say ‘no’ to his nephew. But, he really couldn’t. 

After a few moments, Tsukishima had managed to walk all the way to the gym without crashing into anyone or thing. 

Probably because no one wanted to walk anywhere within a foot of him. 

He supposed it was because of his habit of muttering out loud when he was overthinking. Tsukishima was very unapologetic for his behaviour. An angry and muttering tree was ‘exactly’ the public image that he wanted to project while not working.

Shoving open the doors of the sports centre, Tsukishima walked stiffly down the hall that led to the gym. Shrugging aggressively you prevent his bag from slipping off his shoulder, he heard a familiar voice.

Which was very worrying, considering that he had half hoped it was Kuroo…

Did he actually want it to be Kuroo?

_No. Not a chance in hell. Absolutely not…. no._

Tsukishima had figured that Akiteru and Keichi had just arrived as well, stopped walking and turned around. Keichi sprinted towards him, eyes alight with excitement, “Uncle Kei! You came!”

“I sure did kiddo,” Tsukishima said with a small smile, he then turned to Akiteru, “Is work running late today?”

He saw his brother let out an exasperated sigh, “You bet, Kei. I hope Keichi doesn’t cause you too much trouble…”

“It’s no problem Aki. Don’t worry about it too much-”

“Ahh! My baby brother is such a responsible uncle,” Akiteru crooned, slapping Tsukishima’s arm.. 

Tsukishima always hated when his brother did that. He hated it whenever anyone touched him. 

“-Just be prepared to pay a fortune for my ‘excellent’ babysitting skills.”

Akiteru drew back in mock horror, “Fees? I might as well just leave Keichi in Miyagi with mom and dad if you’re gonna be stingy and charge.”

“Try me, Aki.”

“I know you won’t be able to go a week without seeing your nephew, Kei. So, haha. I win.” His brother crossed his arms and smirked.

Keichi was standing between the two of them, just watching the exchange. “Dad, are you really going to ship me off to Miyagi?”

“Of course Keichi, you cost me too much money,” Akiteru responded without hesitation.

Tsukishima watched as his nephew turned to him and said the greatest answer to his father's remark (based on Tsukishima’s very unbiased opinion). 

“Uncle Kei, when Dad pays you the money. Can I have half?”

“Of course kid,” Tsukishima chuckled in response. 

Akiteru snorted. “Kei! What have you done to my son?”

“I’ve done absolutely nothing, Aki. Kid does what he wants to do.”

“Yep yep! I do what I want,” Keichi said while nodding furiously. His head swiveled in the direction of the gym and his eyes widened fractionally, “Look, it’s the Coach!”

Sure enough, Kuroo was leaning up against the doorway of the gym. His usual grin plastered across his face. 

_Damn. Did Kuroo ever NOT look so frickin hot… Wait. What the fuck was that thought…_

“Oya oya? Tsukki, you actually came?” 

Tsukishima felt himself struggling to contain the flush of embarrassment that he was feeling. _Why wouldn’t he have come?_ Luckily, Kuroo didn’t seem to notice.

The other man had tilted his head to the side to look at Keichi, smirk widening fractionally. “And squirt! You came too! Your friend Sudou-san, is inside the gym already. Why don’t you join him? Me and your uncle will be right in.”

Keichi nodded and dashed into the gym with a quick wave in Akiteru’s direction. 

Akiteru sighed, “I suppose that’s my cue to leave, thank you Kuroo-san. See you later Kei.” 

“See ya,” Tsukishima replied as Akiteru walked towards the exit. 

The sound of a door swinging shut was the only indication that his brother had left. 

Kuroo turned in his direction. “And then there were two… How have ya been Tsukki? I’m surprised that you came today-” Tsukishima watched as Kuroo’s eyebrows wiggled around on his forehead like hairy caterpillars, “- maybe you came just to see me again~”

Feigning nonchalance, Tsukishima responded. “I’ve been well Kuroo-san. Don’t inflate your ego too soon. If it wasn’t for Keichi, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Oh, how you wound me Tsukki.”

“I’d say that it’s your own doing, Kuroo-san.”

Kuroo made a strangled noise as he gave up. “ Let’s allow the volleyball skills to do some talking then,” he gestured vaguely to the bag slung over Tsukishima’s shoulder, “You coming into the gym?”

Tsukishima nodded and quickly brushed past Kuroo. He really hoped that the whole encounter wasn’t too awkward. Maybe a little? Tsukishima didn’t know anymore. 

He stepped onto the varnished wood of the court, and mentally prepared himself for a gruelling two hours of practice.

It almost felt like déjà-vu. Tsukishima couldn’t help as memories from the third gym flooded back into his mind. 

————

Whoever convinced Tsukishima to willingly play volleyball for two hours straight, was nuts…

Oh wait.

He was crazy. Oh well.

It had been a while since Tsukishima last played, but he had shaken off the rust quite quickly. By some miracle, he had managed to stuff one of Kuroo’s spikes to show off his skills to Keichi. 

That had felt really good. It got the adrenaline flowing. 

But now, everything either was hurting or sweaty. Or both, which was disgusting. 

His glasses were all fogged up and it felt like someone dumped a bucket of water over his body. 

On top of that, Tsukishima had a hunch that he was going to be very, very sore the next day. He groaned with the realization that he would have to drag his sorry ass up and down the stairs of the museum to lead tours. 

That was going to be loads of fun.

A wet thump against his back jolted Tsukishima out of his thoughts. He side-stepped and whipped around to face none other than Kuroo.

“Not bad Tsukki! You’ve definitely improved since high school.” Kuroo was smirking again, “Maybe you actually took the words of your senpai to heart.”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. “You’re right, Kuroo-san. Suga-san and Daichi-san gave very good advice.”

“C’mon Tsuki, you know I taught you everything you knowww,” Kuroo whined.

It was kind of impressive how childlike Kuroo could act when he looked like an absolute sex god. The other man’s clothes stuck to him with sweat, leaving Tsukishima’s corrupted mind to picture things he really shouldn’t be thinking of…

“That’s debatable.”

“Wah, you could just admit it?? I was a pretty good teacher Tsukki.”

“I don’t think harassment counts as teaching.”

Kuroo huffed. “Fine, fine. Have it your way Tsukki. I totally taught you everything. There’s no denying it.”

Tsukishima clucked his tongue and ran a hand through his sweaty hair as Keichi bounded up to him. Brimming with excess energy and excitement.

“Uncle Kei! You’re actually really good at volleyball!! Coach went like bam!” Keichi swung his arm to mimic a spike, then shot both arms up in the air to block. “And you were like, whoomp! It was so cool!”

Tsukishima opened his mouth to respond, but Kuroo managed to cut him off. 

“It was pretty cool, wasn’t it squirt? If you keep practicing, eventually you’ll be as good as your uncle!” Kuroo gave a grin in Tsukishima’s direction, “After all, I’m the one who helped your uncle get this good!”

“That’s still debatable, Kuroo-san.” 

Kuroo barked wildly in response. Or laughed? Tsukishima wasn’t very sure what noise was coming out of Kuroo’s mouth.

“Your uncle doesn’t believe that I helped him, Keichi. But you’re a better listener than Tsukki, so I’ll help you become EVEN better.”

Keichi was practically vibrating again. He was nodding furiously as Kuroo gave him tips to improve. 

Tsukishima watched the two ‘children’ speak. He had to admit, Kuroo looked very responsible like this… Like he had the kids best interest at heart…

Kuroo suddenly looked up from his conversation and met Tsukishima’s eyes. _There goes the plan to not be caught staring._ Tsukishima quickly looked away, glancing at his phone screen.

“Are you ready to go now Keichi?” 

“Hm, ok Uncle Kei.” Keichi responded and then paused adding a very unpromoted, “I’m hungry.”

Tsukishima stared blankly at his nephew. “I’ll just cook you something when we get to my place.”

“No, I don’t want your cooking Uncle Kei. I want pizza.” 

_Where the heck was a decent pizza place? And did Keichi just insult his cooking skills?_

For the second time that night, Kuroo interrupted him.“I know a pretty good pizza place close to here. It’ll be my treat! You guys stayed to clean up anyway.”

Tsukishima wanted to reject the invitation _so badly._ But his nephew was going to throw a fit, and he wasn’t paying… And he’d get to spend a little more time with Kuroo…

A lose-lose situation… Or maybe a win-lose. Tsukishima couldn’t really decide.

“Can we go, Uncle Kei?” Keichi asked, pulling very good puppy eyes. “Yeah, what’s the verdict,” Kuroo practically echoed.

Heaving a sigh, Tsukishima caved in, “Alright, alright let’s go.”

Keichi and Kuroo cheered together simultaneously. 

It took all of Tsukishima’s willpower to not break into a little smile. Though, he had the sneaking suspicion that his willpower was having no effect on his mouth.

After a few moments of gathering their stuff, Tsukishima, Kuroo, and Keichi made their way out of the gym.

————

Much to Tsukishima’s surprise, Kuroo was pretty good with his directions. They didn’t end up lost in some alleyway or stranded in some unknown part of Shinjuku.

The pizza place was located roughly 10 minutes away from the sports centre, in the opposite way of Tsukishima’s apartment. 

That really showed how often he ventured out of his apartment… Barely ever.

While Keichi and Kuroo were up at the counter, ordering probably the meatiest pizza Tsukishima had ever heard of, he was busy grabbing a seat. Which was a relatively easy task considering that the place was pretty empty.

Tsukishima pulled out one of the metal chairs at a four person table and realized something. It felt weird, eating with more than two people.

On any normal day, Tsukishima would be holed up in his apartment after work, eating instant ramen by the TV. On special days he’d go out to eat lunch with Yamaguchi or he’d eat dinner with Keichi.

That was it.

He let out a loud sigh and sat down, letting his legs stretch out under the table. Tsukishima could’ve sworn that he heard his knees crack.

Lolling his head to the side, he looked around. Kuroo was still at the counter waiting for their order and Keichi was RUNNING back to the table. Though the pizza place wasn’t that big, Keichi had still decided to run over to the table that Tsukishima had reserved.

Tsukishima took a breath before telling Keichi to slow down, and for the umptenth time that evening, Kuroo interrupted him. 

“Oi, kid. Don’t run. You could fall,” Kuroo had shouted over his shoulder.

Keichi’s steps faltered to a slow trot, “Ok Coach~.”

_Damn, Kuroo… That was kind of hot. Wait… what?_

There was something about the way Kuroo spoke that drove Tsukishima insane.

Tsukishima swore he didn’t have a praise kink or anything. 

Or so he thought…

But it wasn’t only that. It was the fact that his nephew had actually LISTENED to another adult that wasn’t his father or Tsukishima.

Maybe it was because Keichi respected Kuroo as an adult.

A very likely possibility...

 _But still. Kuroo’s frickin hot,_ his thoughts stated factually. 

Tsukishima wanted to bash his head into the table like an ostrich.

By the time Keichi reached the table, he was grinning ear to ear. “Uncle Kei! Coach got us meat pizza! That’s my favourite.” His nephew slid into the seat across from him, feet swinging excitedly.

“I know it is kid. You’ve told me before,” Tsukishima said, smiling back in response.

“Yea! Cause it’s the best kind of pizza obviously!”

Tsukishima nodded. Keichi was very similar to Akiteru, in the sense that he just spoke about anything and everything according to his own opinion. A plainer pizza would have been fine by Tsukishima’s standards, but if Keichi wanted a crap ton of meat, he’d go along with it.

It was at this moment that Tsukishima’s thoughts decided to roll around in the gutter. _Because obviously you want another type of meat Tsukki~ Kuroo’s sounds pretty reasonable..._

“Here is one order of a large meat pizza with extra pepperoni,” Kuroo said, suddenly appearing beside the table, pizza in hand.

Tsukishima swore that Kuroo could teleport. He made a startled noise and quickly tried to play it off by breaking into a ‘coughing fit.’ He highly doubted that Kuroo had noticed, but he decided to roll with it.

Until Kuroo slid into the empty seat next to him, placing the pizza and napkins gingerly on the table.

The ‘coughing fit’ was restarted due to Tsukishima’s shock. But once again, Kuroo didn’t mind.

“Wow thanks so much Coach!!” Keichi exclaimed, lifting the lid of the box reaching for a slice. Tsukishima quickly intervened. “Let’s wash our hands first, Keichi.”

His nephew nodded, and they both left Kuroo at the table (Keichi said it was to guard the pizza). When they returned, Kuroo left to wash his hands as well.

There was something oddly domestic about the way that everything was happening. 

How they ate in a comfortable silence. They way that there was a little bit of banter while eating.

Tsukishima didn’t really know how to describe it. Sure, he was a single gay man living in a place where marriage was impossible. But somehow, in this moment, it felt like they were family.

 _But you don’t have the guts to actually ask Kuroo out you dumbass…_ Tsukishima’s thoughts taunted.

He took another bite of his pizza, chewing slowly, letting his thoughts muddle in his mind. 

Suddenly, he felt something swipe at the corner of his mouth. Panic rose in his chest and he flinched away. If that was a bug… Except, it wasn’t a bug at all. 

It was Kuroo’s hand.

Touching his face.

Tsukishima never realized the volume that his mind could scream at. It was about ten times louder than the rock concert from the first time he had seen Kuroo at the gym. 

_HOLY FUCK HE TOUCHED. MY. FACE!!!! WHAT THE HECK? Is this a declaration of undying love?..._

Kuroo let out a little chuckle at Tsukishima’s very startled reaction. “Tsukki? You had a little bit of sauce on your face… You good?”

He prayed that he wasn’t turning red.

“Uncle Kei? You’re turning red. Are you ok?” 

Whelp.

Swatting his hand around, he tried his best to sound monotonous. “I’m alright Keichi. Just got a bit hot, that’s all.”

Kuroo wiggled his eyebrows at him with a taunting smirk, “A little hot Tsukki? Oya oya...” Tsukishima resisted the urge to tell Kuroo off, but he couldn’t. Not with his innocent nephew right in front of him. He felt his jaw tighten a little bit. “Maybe Uncle Kei is still tired from practice, Coach.” Keichi declared before shoving his third piece of pizza into his mouth. Tsukishima started to wonder how a kid could eat that much.

Kuroo nodded absentmindedly. “You sure you’re alright Tsukki? You should eat more.” Kuroo handed him the last slice of pizza from the box, “I know you’re gonna refuse it, but eat it, it's good for you.”

“Last time I checked, you weren’t my mother Kuroo-san.”

“I may not be your mother, but I did keep you fed during training camp~”

“Ugh…” Tsukishima grabbed the piece, taking a look at the satisfied expression on Kuroo’s face. “You’re too insistent.”

“Just taking care of my Tsukki.”

Tsukishima raised his eyebrows. 

My Tsukishima? What the fuck did that mean?

According to his thoughts it was, _“Confessions of undying love!!”_ But it obviously wasn’t… 

Unless?

No. No it wasn’t at all.

Tsukishima scarfed down the slice that he was holding. “Are we set to go?”

Keichi and Kuroo nodded in unison. They stuffed their used napkins in the garbage and through the box in the recycling bin as they exited.

“Thanks for the food, Coach!” Keichi declared, whipping around to face Kuroo. Tsukishima echoed him quietly.

“It was no problem!” Kuroo replied, grinning ear to ear. “Kid! I look forward to seeing you again on Sunday!”

Keichi nodded vigorously. “Coach, I have a question.”

“What’s up, Keichi?”

“Can I call you Uncle Kuroo?” 

Tsukishima looked at his nephew in silent shock before looking at Kuroo. The other man had frozen in place, like his brain was loading.

After a while, Kuroo finally responded. “That’s fine kid! I don’t mind.”

Keichi had the biggest smile on his face now. “Ok, Uncle Kuroo!”

Tsukishima’s mind was on the verge of melting from how cute his nephew was and screaming because his nephew had grown to accept Kuroo.

Sure, he wasn’t dating Kuroo or anything… But that was the only way he could describe what he was feeling.

“Thanks again Kuroo. You really didn’t have to pay though,” Tsukishima said, moving to stand beside Keichi.

“Don’t worry Tsukki!” Kuroo replied, “You can just pay for the next one. Did you change your number from high school?”

Kuroo still had his number saved into his phone, even after years of not talking to each other? That was slightly endearing.

“No, I haven’t changed it.”

Wait.

Did Kuroo just imply they were doing something like this again? 

Well… It’s not like he minded or anything.

But still.

Tsukishima didn’t think his poor heart could handle it.

“Alright! I’ll message you tomorrow then,” Kuroo declared suddenly as he turned around. “My house is this way, and I’m gonna assume that you know where your house is. So, I guess this is goodnight for now. See ya around Keichi and Tsukki!”

Keichi waved violently as Kuroo walked off. “Bye Uncle Kuroo! See you Sunday!”

 _So Kuroo did live in the neighbourhood… interesting…_

For the record, Tsukishima was not a stalker in any way, shape, or form. He had just thought that for research purposes only… Totally nothing suspicious.

“Did you have fun today Keichi?” Tsukishima asked his nephew as they started their walk back to the apartment.

“I did! Coach- I mean- Uncle Kuroo is so cool! He…”

————

The walk had been nice.

Tsukishima hadn’t lost his way, despite how bad he was with directions. Him and Keichi had arrived safely at his apartment right before Akiteru had arrived.

Now, it was just him in the empty apartment. 

Feeling very tired and sweaty.

He sighed and went to plug his dying phone into a charger before taking a shower. The screen lit up with a notification.

 **Kuroo-san:** _Tsukiiiii! I hope that you got home safely. Message me when you get back!_

Tsukishima stared blankly at his phone for a moment, debating whether he should answer now or later. 

Kuroo could wait.

He forced himself to shower and get ready for bed before replying. The thoughts of muscle pain the next morning and a certain smirk, haunting him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all!
> 
> I’m so sorry that this chapter is very late... Online school is really messing with my writing schedule.
> 
> I hope everyone is doing well. There is a DaiSuga fic that will be releasing, so stay tuned for that.
> 
> Kudos and comments are very appreciated! Please feel free to critique my work, I’m always looking to improve :)

**Author's Note:**

> I now have a twitter account @1rbflannel... so come and chat if you’d like :)


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